What God Can Do!
Published Thu, Feb 23, 2023
Written by Jonathan Bollback
Some of you knew Vimalbai Dongre. She is an example of what Mukti can do in a person’s life. Or more pointedly, what God can do!
She was brought to Mukti by her grandmother when she was only 3 months old. Her whole life was spent at the Mission where she studied in the Sharada Sadan School then at St. Andrew’s High School, completing her Bachelor’s at Wilson College. Vimalbai was the first Mukti girl in many years to graduate from college. In 1948 she completed her Bachelor’s in Teaching at Tilak College of Education.
Offered a job in a school in South Africa, Vimalbai decided to commit herself to Mukti Mission since they had invested so much in her life and her education. She was installed as the Headmistress of Sharada Sadan School. She studied the Bible for a year at the Union Biblical Seminary, then became Headmistress of the Manorama Memorial Girls’ High School, thus being jointly Headmistress of the Sharada Sadan Primary School. Vimalbai also spent one year studying at Columbia Bible College in the US.
Vimalbai worked on the Pandita Ramabai Bible Translation Revision Committee. She was the Guardian of the Orchid Flower Family and cared for the Arun Prabha family of older girls.
The opportunities to touch her world were many and far-flung. She met Mrs. Indira Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India, she visited England, Singapore, and Malaysia as well as Jerusalem in the Holy Land. Vimalbai worked and served in various capacities in Mukti but her heart was always with the Education Department.
Nothing slowed her down. Her passion for God, her love of Mukti, and her excellence in education kept her strong despite many physical setbacks. During years when the average woman in India was repressed and overlooked, Vimalbai was given opportunities to excel and use her talents for God. Vimalbai is with her Savior yet her legacy continues as an impoverished orphan God used for His glory!